Biology 10th Edition

This tenth edition of Solomon, Martin, Martin, and Berg’s Biology conveys our vision of the dynamic science of biology and how it affects every aspect of our lives, from our own health and behavior to the challenging global environmental issues that confront us. New discoveries in the biological sciences continue to increase our understanding of both the unity and diversity of life’s processes and adaptations. With this understanding, we become ever more aware of our interdependence with the vast diversity of organisms with which we share planet Earth.

BIOLOGY: THE STUDENTFRIENDLY
BIOLOGY BOOK

We want beginning students to experience learning biology as an exciting journey of discovery. In the tenth edition of Biology, we explore Earth’s diverse organisms, their remarkable adaptations to the environment, and their evolutionary and ecological relationships. We present the workings of science and the contributions of scientists whose discoveries not only expand our knowledge of biology but also help shape and protect the future of our planet. Biology provides insight into what science is, how scientists work, what scientists have contributed, and how scientific knowledge affects daily life.

Since the first edition of Biology, we have worked very hard to present the principles of biology in an integrated way that is accurate, interesting, and conceptually accessible to students. In this tenth edition of Biology, we continue this tradition. We also continue to present biology in an inquiry-based framework. Some professors interpret inquiry as a learning method that takes place in the laboratory as students perform experiments. Laboratory research is certainly an integral part of inquirybased learning, but inquiry is also a way of learning in which the student actively pursues knowledge outside the laboratory. In Biology we have always presented the history of scientific advances, including scientific debates, to help students understand that science is a process—that is, a field of investigative inquiry—as well as a body of knowledge, the product of inquiry. In the tenth edition of Biology, we make a concerted effort to further integrate inquiry-based learning into the textbook with the introduction of new features and the expansion of several others (discussed in the following sections).

Throughout the text we stimulate interest by relating concepts to experiences within the student’s frame of reference. By helping students make such connections, we facilitate their mastery of general concepts. We hope the combined effect of an engaging writing style and interesting features will motivate and excite students in their study of biology.